This story is so inspiring! I highly recommend it for girls and young women, but I also think it's an excellent story for boys to hear and read. Even adults will be inspired by this young woman's courage! Highly recommend!

From page 42 " Malala was named after Malalai, the greatest Afghan heroine." Malala truly lived up to her name. This is a beautiful and inspiring story of a girl who stood up for what she believed in. There is a lot of information here and some beautiful folk art inspired illustrations. I enjoyed learning about Malala, and look forward to reading the book that inspired this story for children.

This book does not sugar coat the events that occurred. It tells us about Malalas family, religious practices of Islam, war and violence, and simple details of the attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai. It is appropriate for older children, and would be an excellent choice for a book report. The book includes a timeline,map, actual photos of events and award ceremonies Malala attended, and links to websites and other references to learn more about this topic.

I chose NOT to read this story to my daughters, ages 5 and 7, because I felt that they would be too sensitive to the way the information is presented. There are a lot of scary words here: assassination, shot in the head, bombings of her village, just too many themes that I want to shelter my girls from for a little while longer. Fortunately for them, I can. As this book shows, little girls in other countries don't have that luxury.

I honestly can't think of a single flaw in this book. It's perfect. From the incredibly inspiring story, to the incredible art. I really hope a lot of kids will pick up this book, and fall in love with it like I did.

If you select only one book about Malala for young readers, make it this one. This is a clear, straightforward presentation of facts. It is not so harsh as to become disturbing (no grim details) but does not soften reality (the narration states very plainly that Malala was shot, with bullets striking her head and neck). Young readers will learn a lot from the main text and much more from the afterward which has loads of cultural and historical information as well as resources for learning even more. With eye-catching illustrations as well, it's an all around win.

This is a great book for all ages. From all I can find, it is classified for grades 1-4 and ages 6-9. Let me clarify that I gave this a PG rating due to the violence against Malala Yousafzai and others. Not all kids are emotionally ready to read this on their own so it’s always a good idea for a parent or teacher to read these types of books before handing them over to the kids.

What a wonderful book for a teacher to read to a class. There are many words and circumstances younger children will not understand that present perfect teaching opportunities. From what I could see (unfortunately I read this on a Kindle paperwhite so I did not get to view the whole scope of the illustrations and photographs) it is a beautiful book. The first half has Malala’s story and wonderful illustrations to help draw the kids in. The last half is more facts on Malala (who is her inspiration, awards she’s won, etc.) with photos of her and her family.

This is a book that could help younger kids start to understand that it’s okay to stand up for what they believe in even if it’s not the norm. It’s a wonderful book for older kids to spark their interest in Malala’s story. Listed at the end are other books, videos, and websites where they can continue to learn more about Malala and what she stands for.

I will definitely be recommending this to my teacher friends and my younger nieces. It seems especially relevant right now. I would strongly recommend going with the hardcover book instead of the Kindle edition to greater appreciate all this book has to offer.

The youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize earned this award and world-wide acclaim through her activism in support of girls’ rights to education. Starting at age eleven, she began a courageous public battle against the Taliban and their destruction of girls’ schools in Pakistan. Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education, depicts Malala’s background and family support, her bravery in the face of Taliban violence, and her continuing efforts to bring light on rights’ issues for girls and women in particular, but including all downtrodden people.

The artwork is an essential part of this book, providing colorful symbolic images. At the end of the book there is a helpful timeline of events in Malala’s life as well as photographs of her. There is an added useful feature for parents and teachers who want to extend the study with information on Pakistan, education in Pakistan and the world, and Malala’s religion and inspiration. There are also brief discussions of other peacemakers: Gandhi, Mandela, and King. This section includes quotes from Malala as well as a listing of other sources of information about Malala including links to various important speeches she has made.

Teachers will find Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education a valuable teaching resource. It empowers both children and women to stand up for what is right and summarizes the religious and historical context in a way that is understandable and appropriate for children. This book could be used as an integral tool in many curricular units as well as to provoke thoughtful discussion by itself.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Charlesbridge Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Younger Readers, Biography

Notes: recommended for ages 6-9
10 inches X 10 inches
48 pages
originally published in French

Publication: Charlesbridge Publishing--February 7, 2017

Memorable Lines:

One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.

“Dear sisters and brothers, we realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.”--Malala

“The extremists are afraid of books and pens. With guns you can kill terrorists; with education you can kill terrorism.”--Malala

This was a beautiful and powerful story. It almost made me cry. It is a story about Malala, a girl in Afghanistan, and she enjoys her ability to go to school. The Taliban take over the area, and she is not able to go to school anymore. She still fights for her right for education though with her blog and by speaking about it publicly in conferences. When she is given the National Malala Peace Prize, the Taliban target her, and attempt to assassinate her. She survives, and moves to England where she is safe. She is able to continue her education and speak for the right to a fair education on behalf of girls and boys worldwide. Her main focus is girls though. She receives the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts and what she does. Malala is not able to go back to Afghanistan because of her fight for education for girls.
This book is accompanied by beautiful illustrations to go with the story, and photographs of Malala later in the book. It has a biography of Malala so that the children can learn about the history of all that she has done, her inspirations, and her impact.
I would highly recommend this book to school libraries and classrooms.